Samsung is already facing tough competition not only from Apple but also from Chinese smartphone brands. The South Korean firm could soon face even stiffer competition, as some AI companies are reportedly working on smartphones of their own.

In an interview with Fireside Alpha, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon claimed that AI companies want phones capable of running 100-billion-parameter AI models continuously in the background. While Amon did not reveal the names of these AI firms, he noted that some have already started developing their own devices.

Amon stated, “I have to be careful not to disclose names, but some AI companies, some of the companies at the forefront of AI, are telling Qualcomm, ‘By 2028, I need to make sure that I have the ability to run at least a 100-billion-parameter model in a phone, and I need to have this thing running kind of all the time.‘” He added, “Well, AI companies are starting to do phones.“

Companies currently at the forefront of AI include Anthropic, Meta, and OpenAI. While Google is also a leader in the space, it already has its own phones (Pixel), in-house chips (Tensor), and platforms (Android, ChromeOS, Google TV, and Wear OS). This leaves Anthropic and OpenAI as the most likely firms the Qualcomm CEO was hinting at.

There have been multiple reports claiming OpenAI is working on multiple consumer electronic devices, including a smartphone, a screenless smart speaker, smart glasses, and a pendant-shaped wearable device that offers AI capabilities to users all day long.